February 28

202 BC – Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty’s rule over China 1692 – Salem witch hunt begins 1704 – Indians attack Deerfield, Mass, kill 40, kidnap 100 1708 – Slave revolt, Newton, Long Island New York, 11 die 1749 – First...
Salem Witch Trial

Local Bridges Falling Down, Falling Down…

Multiple bridges and at least one tunnel that carry thousands of vehicles each day in Lower Manhattan are classified as structurally deficient or functionally obsolete by the federal government’s Department of Transportation (DOT). Among these are one leading into the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, two ramps serving the Brooklyn Bridge, and the viaduct that carries the FDR...

February 27

1557 – First Russian Embassy established in London 1594 – Henri IV crowned king of France 1814 – Ludwig von Beethoven’s 8th Symphony in F, premieres 1827 – First Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans 1854 – Composer Robert Schumann saved from suicide attempt in Rhine 1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper...
Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney in simpler times

Reach for the Skies

Just under half of all the super-tall buildings completed in the United States in 2016 were erected in Lower Manhattan, according to a new report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). The non-profit organization, which is the leading expert on tall structures, defines “super-tall” as any building that reaches a height...
56 Leonard Street in Tribeca

February 24

303 – First official Roman edict for persecution of Christians issued 1510 – Pope Julius II excommunicates the Republic of Venice 1839 – Steam shovel patented by William Otis, Philadelphia 1909 – The Hudson Motor Car Company is founded. Beginning in 1909, the Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit....
1955 Hudson Wasp. Hudson's peak was in 1929, when the company produced no less than 300,000 Hudson and Essex cars worldwide

The Newest Place to Get High

An engineering marvel is nearing completion outside the windows of Lower Manhattan residents. The Bayonne Bridge, the longest steel-arch span in the world at the time of its 1931 opening (and now holder of the fifth-place title), just got a lot loftier. This is the result of developments half a world away — specifically, in...